Biomaterial Database

Zika virus pandemic-analysis of Facebook as a social media health information platform. 2017

Megha Sharma, and Kapil Yadav, and Nitika Yadav, and Keith C Ferdinand

Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 W Watertown Plank Rd, Wauwatosa, WI. Electronic address: msharma@mcw.edu.

The arrival of Zika virus in the United States has generated a lot of activity on social media focusing on the algorithmic increase in the spread of the disease and its concerning complications. Accurate and credible dissemination of correct information about the arbovirus could help in decreasing the pandemic spread and associated apprehension in the population. Our study examined the effective use of the social media site Facebook (Facebook Inc, Menlo Park, CA) as an information source for the Zika virus pandemic. We found that the misleading posts were far more popular than the posts dispersing accurate, relevant public health information about the disease.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000071243	Zika Virus Infection	A viral disease transmitted by the bite of AEDES mosquitoes infected with ZIKA VIRUS. Its mild DENGUE-like symptoms include fever, rash, headaches and ARTHRALGIA. The viral infection during pregnancy, in rare cases, is associated with congenital brain and ocular abnormalities, called Congenital Zika Syndrome, including MICROCEPHALY and may also lead to GUILLAIN-BARRE SYNDROME.	Congenital Zika Syndrome,Congenital Zika Virus Infection,Fever, Zika,ZikV Infection,Zika Fever,Zika Virus Disease,Disease, Zika Virus,Infection, ZikV,Infection, Zika Virus,Virus Disease, Zika,Virus Infection, Zika
D014481	United States	A country in NORTH AMERICA between CANADA and MEXICO.
D058873	Pandemics	Epidemics of infectious disease that have spread to many countries, often more than one continent, and usually affecting a large number of people.	Pandemic
D061108	Social Media	Platforms that provide the ability and tools to create and publish information accessed via the INTERNET. Generally these platforms have three characteristics with content user generated, high degree of interaction between creator and viewer, and easily integrated with other sites.	Folksonomy,Mobile Social Media,Mobile Social Networks,Social Media Messaging,Social Tagging,Social Medium,Twitter Messaging,Web 2.0,Folksonomies,Media Messaging, Social,Media, Social,Messaging, Social Media,Messaging, Twitter,Mobile Social Medias,Mobile Social Network,Social Media Messagings,Social Media, Mobile,Social Network, Mobile,Social Taggings,Tagging, Social,Web 2.0s
D033181	Information Dissemination	The circulation or wide dispersal of information.	Data Sharing,Information Distribution,Information Sharing,Data Sharings,Dissemination, Information,Distribution, Information,Information Sharings,Sharing, Data,Sharing, Information,Sharings, Data,Sharings, Information